CAPE ELIZABETH, Maine — The online portion of the TD Beach to Beacon 10K road race registration filled 4,000 slots in less than five minutes for the first time ever on Friday morning, and those still looking for a spot at the start line began registering for the lottery.

This year marks the 16th anniversary for the popular international road race founded by Olympic gold medalist Joan Benoit Samuelson. The race is set for Saturday, Aug. 3.

Runners now have until midnight on March 22 to register for one of the 1,900 remaining bibs available through the lottery, which will be drawn on March 25. Runners can sign up for the lottery at the race website, www.beach2beacon.org.

“We couldn’t be more pleased with how the registration process worked again this year,” volunteer race president David Weatherbie said. “Our registration partner, Forte Interactive, continues to do a great job in making this process as smooth and easy as possible for participants. We’re getting a lot of positive feedback as well, which is appreciated by the TD Beach to Beacon Organizing Committee.”

This year’s record time trimmed eight seconds off the 2012 record of 5:06. Cape Elizabeth residents, given a 24-hour window to fill 600 online slots on Thursday, reached the cap a shade under nine minutes. Eric Soelberg of Freeport also set a new record Friday for the fastest registration, completing the online form in a blazing 45.27 seconds.

Those who got into the race received an email confirmation from race organizers. Those who did not were re-directed to the lottery registration process. By 11 a.m. on Friday, 1,362 runners had entered the lottery. Each lottery entrant is charged $5. Runners who get into the race via the lottery will be notified by email and their names will be posted on the race website on March 25.

Registration also will get underway soon for race beneficiaries, sponsors, elite athletes and runners who have taken part in all 15 past races, known as legacy runners.

The race will allow registered-runner transfers from May 1 through June 30. The race will charge a $5 transfer fee. Cape Elizabeth residents registered in the 600 entries allocated to Cape Elizabeth residents can only transfer to another Cape Elizabeth resident.

Race organizers are again targeting a race day field of 6,000. A record 6,117 runners from 17 countries, 44 states and more than 240 Maine cities and towns finished the scenic 6.2-mile course last year. The race debuted in 1998 with 2,408 runners crossing the finish line.

Online registration for the Kids Fun Run will begin Monday, March 18 and continue through June 30. Parents may also register their children at the Expo or on Race Day.

The TD Beach to Beacon is one of Maine’s premier sporting events and one of the most popular events on the U.S. road race circuit. Thousands of spectators cheer on the runners along the scenic course and at the finish, and more than 800 volunteers help ensure a smooth operation.

The race begins near the Crescent Beach entrance on Route 77, winds along tree-lined streets and past breathtaking ocean vistas, and ends in Fort Williams Park at the historic Portland Head Light, the most photographed lighthouse in the world.

More than $60,000 in prize money is awarded to the top finishers and place winners in the various categories for men and women, and a $30,000 donation is provided to a youth beneficiary each year by the TD Charitable Foundation. This year, The Opportunity Alliance has been chosen as the race beneficiary.